


A Name Closer

by Chionee



Category: One Piece
Genre: Bonding Time, Falling In Love, Guessing game, M/M, Rated T for language, Sanji is a playful smartass, Zoro is half dumb half in denial, adults acting like middle schoolers, and also a powerful moronsexual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-16 07:43:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18687127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chionee/pseuds/Chionee
Summary: Zoro got involved in a guessing game in spite of himself. The reward was probably much more than what he expected.





	A Name Closer

Day 0

“I’m in love.”

Zoro was not sure the statement was addressed to him. Or, no; that was not it. He was certain it was meant for his ears, but he was not sure just _why_. He pretended not to hear like he usually did when he believed there was no need to start a conversation. He frequently believed there was no use in starting conversations.

Silence came again, to Zoro’s contentment. The air was heavy with the heat on The Sunny’s deck, almost unfit to breathe. For more than a half hour, the swordsman had been lazily stuffing his mouth with fresh slices of tangerine, and he was almost done with the dozen the cook had agreed to give him. The citrus fruits had been bought for a song on the last winter island they’d been, to Nami’s delight. They grew like weeds and were the cheapest food one could find on there, and despite Luffy’s reluctance to let potential meat be replaced by tons of fruits, they ended up filling a good part of the galley’s storage with barrels of fresh tangerines.

Zoro hadn’t been so pleased by that choice either, but now that the sun was burning, he was somewhat glad to have fresh juicy fruits to get him hydrated. He would have preferred to get a hold on some alcohol but had found he was fine with the fruits once he’d started eating them. He was positive the cook had handed him the sourest ones, just to his liking, as he could see Chopper sipping his handmade juice like it was the tastiest drink he ever had. It probably was; Zoro knew Sanji had chosen the sweetest ones for him.

Since Zoro’d start eating, his blond crewmate hadn’t moved back to the galley, staying a few feet away from him instead, exposed elbows resting against the railing, facing the infinite expanse of the ocean. He was still close enough to be heard if he ever talked.

Zoro felt a new wave of sweat tingling his nape and sliding down his naked back as he licked his sticky fingers clean. The air was still heavy, if not getting heavier, but now Zoro could feel the faint smell of tangerine. It made the whole atmosphere a little more pleasant.

“I’m in love,” Sanji reiterated, “I think.”

Zoro didn’t want to acknowledge this. I’d rather ask how Sanji knew this dozen of tangerines would be sour enough to please his taste buds, but it would probably get him a nasty remark. He was not in the mood to start a fight, however, as he was obviously trying hard _not_ to start _that_ conversation. But the uncertainty (was it?) in the other’s tone was making him curious, so he spoke.

“You ‘think’?”

“Yeah.”

Zoro really didn’t mean to, but he snorted anyway. What an unusual statement for a guy who claimed to love any and every girl. For Sanji to actually question his so-called love for one of his ladies, it might mean he was really screwed.

“Who’s the unlucky girl? The tangerine seller back at Frosty Island?”

“Nina is obviously a gem and I love her as-”

“So that’s her?” Zoro cut in, raising an eyebrow. “But she has a-”

“A fiancé, yes. I know that, thank you very much, stupid. I was not talking about her,” Sanji huffed, clearly displeased. Well, fucker openly invited him to talk about it so he’d better not get all pissed off when Zoro was just trying to be civil with him, for once. “I’m in love,” he repeated like it would give Zoro any indication.

“I heard you the first time, dumbass. So what? You fall in love with any living thing that has boobs, your game is not funny.”

“ _I don’t-!_ ” Sanji groaned, bit his lips and ruffled his hair frantically, obviously trying to contain the slurs he wanted to throw at his crewmate. “You’re _impossible_. I’m done. You won,” he finally announced before retreating to the galley, his footsteps as heavy as the summer-filled oxygen.

He was so easy to rile up. Zoro couldn’t help but love it.

◌○●○◌  
Day 1

A kick in the side jolted him awake, an unhappy groan accompanying it.

“Fuckin’- dammit love-cook, I thought you preferred your head on your shoulders. You lost your mind or what?” Zoro massaged the pain away while his crewmate simply stood there, innocent grin and hands hidden in his pockets. He really wanted to throw him overboard sometimes.

“I’m in love.”

“… I’m going to get Chopper.”

“Oh, you’re such a party pooper!”

“And you’re the most unnerving guy the universe had the displeasure to create. Can’t you go noodle your life elsewhere?”

“Did you just use ‘noodle’ as a verb?”

“Exactly. Now, fuck. Off.” Zoro made a great show of rolling on his side, facing away from the troublemaker. A vain attempt to make Sanji go away, confirmed by the thud he made when he sat down next to the swordsman. He deserved the honorable title of pain in the ass of the year. So be it, Zoro was going to ignore him.

Strangely enough, though, the cook remained quiet and Zoro quickly wondered if he didn’t hear him leave; not that it would turn around to check. Accepting the situation as it was, he was soon drifting back to sleep.

“If you can guess right by the end of the month, I’ll pay whatever shitty booze you wanna have.”

Shit, that was too damn interesting to let it pass.

◌○●○◌  
Day 3

“I’m in love,” Sanji whispered.

They were back to back, stuck into wooden case. Big enough to let them both in, but still too tight to let them move freely. It was starting to get on Zoro’s nerves. Stupid plan. Stupid, stupid _stupid_.

“Is now really the time to play?” He groaned lowly, and guessing Sanji was waiting for his reply anyway, he added, “the blond girl at the bar who flushed like a damn tomato when you offered to-”

“NO! God! Shut the fuck up! Don’t you _dare_ say anything else. _Damn_. I hate you so much right now.”

Zoro let a throaty laugh out that earned him a sharp elbow in the ribs. He felt like he had waited _days_ to give him that answer. The reaction was oh so great, but he was disappointed he couldn’t see the embarrassment painted all over the cook’s face.

It had become a real little game between them, guessing who the girl was. On Zoro’s part, the objective was either to rile the cook up with his replies enough to start a fight or make him want to disappear from embarrassment. And maybe, of course, getting free booze in the end. But now, Zoro found it was funny enough to let the reward slip.

As both pirates calmed down, a comfortable silence settled between them, the kind that happened when they teased each other without any will to get physical. It was best to lay low in the situation they were in. Zoro was already thinking about the next girl he would bring up when he felt his comrade’s head move to rest on his shoulder and heard a sigh being blown.

“Why aren’t you trying to actually get information? You’re just randomly mentioning ladies, aren’t you?”

“What, because you actually love _love_ someone? Isn’t it just a game?”

“ _For the love of the five seas, Zoro._ Are you _that_ stupid?”

“Hey! Like I already said, you ‘fall in love’ with anybody as long as it’s a girl! It could be freakin’ anyone! How do you want me to find out just who the hell it is?”

“Then ask questions, moron!”

Zoro didn’t have time to retort since a Marine suddenly yelled about upcoming enemies, which was the signal they were waiting for. Without any other word, they launched themselves out of the case, already prepared for action.

◌○●○◌  
Day 5

“I’m in love.”

Zoro took the time to finish his reps before putting his weights aside. The sun, hardly up, was casting a pale yellow light through the windows of the crow’s nest. It was still cold outside, but his training had warmed the room.

Sanji had just climbed up there, no doubt after finishing preparing breakfast a bit earlier than usual. He had an unlit cigarette between his lips and his hair was a mess. He looked a bit restless, as though he’d drunk the whole content of the coffee pot.

“She’s a redhead.”

A shook of the head later, Zoro crossed his arms over his torso, eyeing his crewmate. His first real thought had obviously been Nami. The cook was always so damn gentlemanly-flirty with her since the very beginning Zoro was positive it could be the real deal. But apparently it was not the case, and now that he was sure of it, it made abruptly sense that after all the stuff they went through as a pirate crew, they were more of a family than anything, and Sanji was probably feeling the same. Robin was also likely to be out of the question.

“Brown hair.”

“No.”

A small and unique rule had been made so Zoro couldn’t simply ask the name of the girl. Sanji could only answer with either yes or no, but had to give an answer anyway, whatever the question was.

“Darker?”

“Nah.”

“Blond.”

“Nope.”

“Bald?”

“ _Wha_ \- no, not bald.”

“Rainbow?” Zoro finally asked with raised eyebrows.

Sanji laughed, but it was more from mockery than sheer amusement. The swordsman wanted to throw a dumbbell at him, but Franky would absolutely throw all his shipwright equipment at him as revenge if he ended up damaging the ship. Not worth it.

“Why rainbow out of every color that exists?” The cook said, tightening his tie into place and flattening his unruled bangs. Zoro wanted to pull them.

“So that’s a no?”

“Obviously. You really suck at this kind of thing, you know? There’s one question you should ask before anything else.”

“Ah? Which one?”

“Not telling you, that wouldn’t be fun otherwise.”

Zoro huffed and turned around to go slump on the bench, towel in hand. The sweat had cooled down and was starting to give him light goosebumps. While he dried himself, Sanji lit his cigarette and began smoking soundlessly. Soon, the tension in his shoulders Zoro knew was there vanished, slowly but steadily.

The swordsman had taken the habit of observing his crewmate over the days, since they initiated this game of them. Often, he found himself wondering just who the hell could that chick be as he scrutinized the other’s face or hands, the way he stood, or his closed eyes when he really was enjoying the cigarette he was smoking. Of course, nothing about that ever gave him any hint about the identity of the anonymous lover. It was not like Zoro expected to have a sudden epiphany. If anything, he found the game a bit unfair since they’d met a shit load of girls and Sanji had thrown himself at their feet every time, but not unwelcome nonetheless.

It was a development as any other. He was taking as it was.

◌○●○◌  
Day 8

Dishes duty was by far one of the best chores on the ship. By best, Zoro meant least annoying. Sure, washing plates and pans late after dinner was never remotely fun, but laundry duty was far worse smelly-speaking and more time-consuming. Cleaning the bathroom was just above that. Zoro did not understand why he had to clean the damn room so often, he who took a bath once a week. Only his watch time was better than the dishes because he would spend that time in the crow’s nest, with his weights. Ah, greatest times.

The only thing that could annoy him during the dishes duty was Sanji’s presence. Obviously, the guy wouldn’t let anyone alone in his kitchen for fear someone broke his cooking accessories or stole food. Though, the recent evolution of their relationship actually made the chore less of a chore and more of a fun one-on-one.

“She curses like a sailor.”

“Where do you get these ideas, for fuck’s sake.”

“Answer, you coward.”

“Alright!” Sanji rolled his shoulders after placing another clean plate in Zoro’s hand. “That’s not really a no. I, well… I guess I swear more.”

Zoro smirked. With this piece of information, he could cross out every princess and averagely polite girl they met. It was a lot, but still not enough considering the fact that Sanji was, despite his habitual gentleman demeanor, one of the rudest guys he had ever met.

Upon finishing drying the remaining dishes, Zoro’s sight stopped on the small markings on the back of a plate -surely the craftsman’s name-, and it gave him an idea. “Her name starts with an A.”

Sanji gave him a quick once over and then shook his head while draining the dirty water.

“B?”

“No. Are you going to go through the whole fucking alphabet?”

“Yep. C?”

A few obscenities followed by a tired sigh later, Sanji shook his head anew.

“D.”

“No. This is gonna be long.”

“Ah?” Zoro raised his eyebrows, taking the towel out of the blond’s hands to dry his own. “So it’s at the end of the alphabet?”

“Yeah. You can actually think for a living moss ball.”

“Shaddap, asshole. E?”

“N-” Sanji bit his own tongue from desperation. “ _No!_ I told you it was at this freaking _end_ of the alphabet so why the heck would you suggest an E?!”

“You could be lying just to mess with me!”

“I. Am. _Not._ Lying! Fucking idiot!” As if it could back up his affirmation, Sanji scooped some of the remaining stagnant foam in the sink to slam it across the swordsman’s face. “ _Idiot!_ ” He repeated, his tone giving a whole new level of vulgarity to the insult.

Taken aback by the abrupt gesture, Zoro could only feel the light tingle on his left cheek, where the foam-coated hand had crashed. Suddenly completely mad, he reproduced the same attack, which resulted in more physical counter-attacks until they were at each other’s throat.

Zoro revised his judgment. Doing the dishes was now, by far, _the worst_ chore on this godforsaken ship.

◌○●○◌  
Day 12

Zoro knew himself to be a pretty simple man with simple tastes. He could eat and drink pretty much everything without complaining, except sugar in every aspect of it, and could bear any climate without _much_ complaining. He never looked at flowers long enough to wonder why they were considered beautiful, and he believed the setting sun over turquoise water was a common sunset for any lambda pirate. What he valued to be good enough to his liking was, in fact, a great number of things.

What he found really appealing were his blades. They were lethal in his capable hands, shining with the sun’s rays and drawing blood smoothly when they encountered flesh. They would sing when clashing with everything else, but would always open their ways, and slice. Zoro loved feeling their pommels against his resting hand, as well as hearing the sheaths rattle together when he was walking. Needless to say, he took great care of them.

What he also found fascinating was the eerie quietness that followed a great battle. Fights were never silent, victories always mute, and his loudly beating heart somehow inaudible. Not for long, though, since their captain always ended up shouting jovially at them when they met again, and Chopper worrying aloud about their well-being.

This time was no different. Zoro felt like he had concluded his last fight ages ago as time seemed to slow down. Ashes were slowly falling on the ground, turning his coat a burnt shade of grey and covering the dead or getting drowned in puddles of still warm blood. They smelled like fire, like death itself, making the land a weird, friable graveyard. And he was walking on it.

Before him stood Sanji, his dress pants still getting, Zoro dared to say, gently consumed by the embers of his Diable Jambe. Quiet, contemplative. Under his feet, dozens of life had been smashed. The fire would eat what muscles and bones hadn’t crushed, leaving nobody unaltered. It was powerful, devastating.

Sanji turned around upon hearing the swordsman’s footsteps in the snow of carbonized flesh and smiled, relief softening his features. He was fitting well there, with the sun crowning his hair and death on the ground. Zoro was mesmerized. The smell of burnt everything was making his eyes water a bit.

He was walking on Sanji’s graveyard, the one made of ashes and destroyed bodies, and despite the grossness of the situation, he found the landscape beautiful. Absolutely, wonderfully beautiful.

Later on, when Chopper finally left them rest after patching them up, Zoro wondered why he had felt like staying on the graveyard, facing Sanji, until the end of times.

◌○●○◌  
Day 14

“Her name,” Zoro said hesitantly, “does it start with a Z?”

“I didn’t start the game.”

Zoro gave him an unamused kick in the shin and chugged the rest of his beer. He had waited a whole week, for fuck’s sake. His stare told ‘asshole’ as his swallows only kept him quiet. Sanji’s eyes answered ‘sore loser’ and his smirk was soon lost in his drink, some sangria from the look of it. Zoro no longer knew how they ended up at the same table, in the same bar on this big-ass island.

“You’re really going to play smartass?”

“Why not?” Sanji snickered. “Pushing your buttons is one of my favorite activities.”

“Get lost.” Zoro stood up, his mug in hand, ready to make his way to the counter to get a refill when a hand caught his forearm.

“Wait! You’re not leaving, are you?”

“Of course not,” the swordsman replied. “You’re annoying as fuck tonight tho. I’m in need of more booze to put up with your shit.”

Zoro left the dumbfounded cook and went to the counter, using the respite away from the blond to set his ideas straight. He was starting to get really confused by their whole relationship and it gave him headaches he really could do without, not to mention the blond’s antics.

Of course, it wasn’t like he didn’t want their relationship to progress, but he’d rather keep it at the former you-come-near-me-there’s-50%-chance-I’ll-fight-you level if it’d imply fewer headaches caused by stupid cooks.

Getting back his now full, nearly overflowing mug of beer, Zoro made his way back to the table he and his crewmate were occupying and sat himself down without a word. Drinking his booze quietly, he watched the blond playing absent-mindedly with the fake miniature palm in his empty glass. His cheeks already wore the characteristic red of intoxicated people. Lightweight.

“I’m in love,” he announced lowly after a few moments, sounding almost reluctant. If Zoro didn’t know better, he would have thought the guy was depressed.

“Same question.”

Sanji hummed and straightened on his stool, but didn’t answer right away. Instead, he kept his attention on the fake palm. Lightweight, _really._  He probably didn’t hear himself start the game.

“So,” the swordsman repeated for good measure, “the name. Does it start with a Z?”

“Oh, yeah.”

That was said way too casually for Zoro to believe either his ears or Sanji’s reply.

“You… sure? Are you sober enough to actually answer?”

“Jeez, grass-hair, you want me to write it down? _Yes_ , the name starts with a Z. Happy?”

Zoro wiped some foam off at the corner of his mouth before crossing his arms. He wondered if he could ask the same question with the rest of the letters until he could figure it out. That would be kind of boring, but it was the fastest way to get the name. It didn’t mean he would be able to put a face on the name, but it would be a start.

“What about the second letter, is it an A?”

“Oh, man, that’s so fuckin’ _boring_. Why don’t you change-”

The rest of the sentence was cut off when a burly man who passed too close of him knocked his shoulder rather brutally. It was all the cook needed to snap and before Zoro could say anything, his crewmate launched himself off the stool to go after the brute.

Zoro sighed and finished his drink before leaving the premise to wait outside. As much as he was down for a little fight, Sanji, in his inebriated state, wouldn’t appreciate being ‘help’ or whatever. Furthermore, Nami had made him and Luffy swear not to make a fuss on that island full of Navy soldiers. And when their navigator made them swear, it meant their wallet was at stake. And anyway, a few minutes of wait was all it took to let the blond reappear, not even a hair out of place. If anything, the fight might have sobered him up.

“Oh, you’re still there,” he noted. With a head gesture, he invited him to tag along and got going. “Why did you go for the letter Z, earlier?” He inquired instantly without looking back, not doubting Zoro would follow him.

“Well, you said the first letter was at the end of the alphabet, so I guessed I might as well start with the last one.”

“So you didn’t have any idea?”

“How could I? You’re a skirt chaser and I, for nothing in the world, would bother remembering the name of any chick you flirt with.”

Surprisingly, far from getting pissed by that statement, the cook snorted. “Alright, I had enough fun letting you in the dark. You’re so dense sometimes.”

“What does that even mean?!”

“Did I say I was in love with a lady?”

Ah? Oh...

Oh.

◌○●○◌  
Same day, later

You see, Zoro was not dumb. Far from it, actually; at least more than people tended to give him credit for.

But that one, he could have never seen it coming. Not even in a billion years.

And if he was honest with himself, the dots he was starting to connect were leaving him with knots in his guts. Sanji, the love-cook, the skirt chaser, the guy whose eyes turned into hearts at the sight of any female, was in love _with a man_. Presumably. And that person, that dude, had a name starting with a Z.

The swordsman didn’t know a lot of people meeting both criteria. Problem was, he couldn’t get used to the idea of Sanji falling for a man. _It was Sanji, dammit_. And despite being told the game wasn’t just a game, he couldn’t shake out the thought that it couldn’t be true, in the end.

Nonetheless, there was one thing he was certain of. _He_ was the guy Sanji was trying to make him guess, according to the game. And if it really was the real deal, Zoro wasn’t sure to know what to do about it.

◌○●○◌  
Day 15

He had to say something. Really, he had to, or he was going to get an aneurysm from thinking too hard about it. But how could he? There was no way he could just go and see Sanji and actually _talk_ to him about that. That was way out of their relationship’s boundaries, even now. They didn’t talk unless they were making fun of each other or playing the game. It just wasn’t how they acted around each other.

Maybe he could play dumb. Like, really dumb and pretend not to connect the dots until Sanji grew tired of his bullshit. The idea itself, however, didn’t sit well with him for he may not be the sharpest man, sometimes, but he was. No. Coward. Too bad the idea of a chit-chat with Sanji about his crush (he damned himself for thinking like a teenage girl) felt as unappealing.

He was stuck. His now only hope was that he was not the guy of the game. But to make sure of that, he would have to continue the game and see what would happen. Maybe there was another Z-man out there who actually was the crush.

If only.

◌○●○◌  
Day 21

“Tell me,” the swordsman inquired, “is sh-… is he part of the crew?”

Despite his outside calm appearance, Zoro was sure his hands currently hidden under the table, gripping his pants, would be shaking a bit from anticipation if he released his hold on the material. It was a quiet evening, dishes duty was done, no foam had been smeared on cheeks and hair; he had no reason to stay in the galley. Only, he had enough of waiting.

Surprisingly, Sanji hadn’t sought him out during the past few days to continue the game after the whole ‘I like a dude’ post-fight. Probably to let him think in peace. Instead of relieving Zoro with the space he got, he found himself even more disturbed by the whole situation. Even his daily training was affected by his internal turmoil and he couldn’t take it anymore. He had to make a move at last. Be a decent man ( _for once_ would say the blond) and finally ask the right questions. To freaking grow up.

Sanji lifted his face from the notebook where he was writing the evolution of supplies for future errands running. Zoro knew right away that he was going to say yes. It was showing on his face, the way his eyes glinted faintly and the ephemeral quirk of his lips. The swordsman was still a bit unsure when he started identifying his crewmate’s little, imperceptible gestures. He was probably screwed as well.

“I guess you’ve understood.”

He nodded whilst Sanji closed his notebook before putting his pen above it. Now was the time for the real conversation. Zoro still wasn’t sure he really wanted to attend it. “Since when?” He asked, hoping the other’s answer would distract him enough to forget his uneasiness.

“I can’t say. There wasn’t a precise moment when I thought ‘Oh, I think I like this dumbass very much, actually’.”

“Hey!-”

“Let me finish,” Sanji interfered, raising a hand before him. “I really don’t know when things, when my feelings towards you started changing. I just once realized I wouldn’t mind, you know… having you as a permanent part of my life.”

Zoro blinked once, twice; opened his mouth only to close it right after, before opting for “It doesn’t mean _shit._  You call that being in love? Here I thought you were the lov-”

Not even a half second later, the notebook made contact with his face, effectively shutting him up. While the inoffensive weapon fell on the ground, Zoro wondered if they were going to make a paper wad battle this time instead of talking things through. He’d be glad for the distraction.

Immediately, Sanji was up, looming over him, hands on the table and looking an odd mix of desperation and… fondness? Zoro wanted to head-butt him, but not too hard. Because he was an idiot too. Yes, a gentle headbutt sounded nice, and it was weirding him out.

“Look, I know it seems strange. I, for one, can assure you I just don’t know what I’m doing right now. I… I didn’t know how to tell you without both of us freaking out.”

“So you came up with this game.”

“Yeah. I wanted you to figure it out on your own. But it would’ve been impossible without leaving clues.”

“No shit,” Zoro chuckled, “I would have never figured out you’ve got the hots for a guy. Even if I did, I would have thought you’d just be your usual self.” An image of Sanji gushing over a male popped into his mind, making him shiver unpleasantly. “I’m glad you didn’t tho.”

Sanji rolled his eyes and sat down again. “Yeah, I thought so too. And to be honest I don’t know if I would have been able to.”

Zoro smirked, somehow getting calmer as time went on. Even in love with a man, Sanji could be an utter fool only with girls. “So, dare to tell why you love me?”

“Hell no!”

The swordsman barked with laughter while the blond eyed him angrily, his face as red as the cooked lobsters they ate for dinner. He didn’t want to know the reasons behind the blond’s fall, really; he just knew the question would embarrass him and couldn’t resist the temptation.

Without any of them noticing time flying by, they kept on teasing each other until sleepy yawns pushed them to their bunks, and a hesitant press of lips was left on the swordsman’s cheek, living him a bit flustered and not displeased like he expected himself to be.

He didn’t know where their relationship would carry them now, but Zoro found that night it didn’t really matter. They were grown men, despite their contradictory behaviors when they were put together; and would eventually find a certain equilibrium to dance around, even if it led them to graveyards of ashes.

◌○●○◌  
Weeks later

Zoro didn’t ask again why Sanji was in love with him. It was not necessary. Now that he knew where to look for, evidence was obvious. It could be in the way the blond would gently tug on his sleeve to make sure he would not wander off and would pretend he was pissed he had to babysit him but would never let the others do it instead (‘ _So I can kick his ass if necessary._ ’); when he left a set of warm rice balls (three, for the joke) in the Crow’s nest when he was training and a bottle of water, or sake if he was lucky; when he couldn’t contain the fondness in his eyes while Zoro was taking a nap with Chopper (Zoro might lack an eye but he was not blind yet); the way he would spread foam from the dishes or his shaving cream on the swordsman’s face (a recurring thing lately) and would laugh wholeheartedly until a counter-attack occurred. Zoro always let him do it even if he saw it coming beforehand.

There were also the quiet moments between them when Sanji dared to be a bit clingier and would press his lips against a sharp jaw, slide his hands against the other’s sides, underneath whatever he was wearing or not at the moment, and simply hold him close for a while. Zoro let him do that too.

It also was in the way Sanji had flushed under the touch of calloused fingers, yet hadn't broken free when his hair had been pulled back, revealing the hidden part of his face to the world, and an uncertain, clumsy kiss had been pressed against his mouth for the very first time.

No, Zoro really didn’t need to ask. Sanji was answering him anyway without talking. He probably was in love, too.

◌○●○◌

“By the way, where’s the alcohol you promised me?”

“What alcohol?”

“The reward of the game.”

“Oh, that.”

“So? I _did_ win that game.”

“You’re so not romantic. What did I do to deserve such an ape?”

“It was _your_ idea. Are you not going to keep your gentleman promise? That’s not very gentleman of you. I expected better from my gentleman boyfriend.”

“Wait and see what the gentleman boyfriend will do to you if you keep on pissing him off.”

“I’m actually really scared for my life.”

“ _Shut up_.”

There was the sound of a small smack to the head, a pearl of laughter, an amused smile and then, in the quietness of a warm summer dusk at sea, a kiss full of promises.

The air smelled like the last tangerines of that winter island.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I finally did it, I posted my first work ever on AO3.  
> It's the first time I dare to post something which is not in my mother tongue too, so I hope I didn't fuck up the grammar too much.
> 
> I hope you liked it! Kudos and reviews are appreciated <3
> 
> You can check my [dumblr](https://chioneesglasses.tumblr.com/).


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